Chapter 586 -587: Chaos

Cai Hua was on the verge of losing her mind. Only after giving away all her broken silver had she managed to escape with her life.

But right after she left the mansion, Gu Antong had set herself on fire. As her personal maid, escaping right at this moment made her a prime suspect.

The guards were searching for her like crazy every single day. Terrified, she hadn’t even dared to stay inside the city. Instead, she hid in a ruined temple near the city gates, hoping for an opportunity to flee far away.

However, there were simply too many soldiers patrolling the official roads. Unable to find a chance to slip away, she had no choice but to keep laying low.

“What on earth is going on in the Capital City? They’ve suddenly imposed martial law.”

“You don’t know? The entire Capital City is in chaos right now.

“All those glamorous noble families have started internal purges. I heard that those madams who usually put on a facade of mercy actually have their hands stained with blood.”

“No way, don’t scare me! They seem perfectly nice. Just last time, one of the madams even handed me a steamed bun—made of white flour, too!”

“Heh, then you’re really lucky you didn’t die after eating it.

“I heard that the most abundant things hidden in those madams’ rooms aren’t silver, but all kinds of poison.”

“Is it really that terrifying?”

“Of course. Do you still remember Vice Minister Gu’s family?

“The one whose face is ruined, yet still wanders the streets every day.”

“Oh, you mean him! Of course I remember. Last time, he scared a kid next door to tears.

“His face looks like that, but he still wanders outside all day. He really has no shame left.”

“Don’t say that. They are pitiful people too.

“Didn’t his granddaughter and the Third Prince share a mutual affection? The Third Prince even followed her exile procession for a long time because of her.”

“Oh, it’s her! I’ve heard plenty about her before, I just didn’t know which one she was.”

Hiding in the narrow alley, Cai Hua listened to the chatter outside and curled herself into an even tighter ball.

“She was a pitiful one, too. After falling in love with the Third Prince, she finally got her wish and entered the Third Prince Mansion—oh, right, it’s the Prince Ning Mansion now.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Good, my foot! Did you know the Prince Ning Mansion caught fire a couple of days ago?”

“Of course I know. We even wanted to go help put it out, but the guards from the Prince Ning Mansion stopped us. They said people were already fighting the fire and they didn’t need that many hands.”

“See, you have to choose where to be helpful.

“What kind of place is the Prince Ning Mansion? How could they let us commoners in?

“If you encounter something like this in the future, remember to stay far away so you don’t end up implicated.”

“Weren’t we talking about the Gu family’s granddaughter?”

“Ah, talking to you got me off track. That fire was caused by the Gu family’s daughter.”

“She’s that ruthless? Daring to burn down the Prince Mansion.”

“Shh! It wasn’t her who burned it! She was burned alive by someone else.”

A listener nearby was so shocked they covered their mouth. “How is that possible? That’s the Prince Mansion! Does Prince Ning not care?”

“How could he manage it? How could those women in the inner court just stand by and watch the Third Prince dote on only one person? So…”

Cai Hua’s blood ran cold upon hearing this. Gu Antong hadn’t left her a way out; she had deliberately kept her alive to muddy the waters.

As her primary personal maid, going missing right when the Prince Mansion caught fire raised a lot of suspicions.

By now, Prince Ning probably assumed she had been bribed by someone and was the one who started the fire.

Those noble families, desperate to prove their daughters’ innocence, would definitely want to catch her as quickly as possible.

No matter who caught her, she would not meet a good end.

Looking down at the lockbox clutched in her arms, it now felt scorching hot.

But this was her lifeline, the very thing she needed to survive after escaping. She couldn’t bear to just throw it away.

“I also heard that Gu Shufei’s primary maid is missing. Now, it’s not just the Prince Ning Mansion looking for her; many families are searching for her too.”

“Could it be that the maid betrayed her master?”

As the voices drifted over, Cai Hua felt her head spin. She had guessed completely right.

“Isn’t it obvious? She was definitely bribed by one of the consorts.

“Otherwise, how could a mere little maid escape past so many layers of guards?”

“Hearing you say that, maybe that little maid’s life is already forfeit. Why would they keep such a loose end alive? Who are they putting on this show for?”

“Shh. Anyway, this has nothing to do with us. Just sit back and watch the drama.”

Cai Hua couldn’t bear to listen anymore. She quietly retreated deeper into the alley, crouched in the darkest corner, and silently shed tears.

She initially thought Gu Antong had finally found her conscience, but she never expected that, even in death, Gu Antong would use her.

Because she survived, the waters were completely muddied. What could have been brushed off as an accidental fire had now exposed the dirty affairs of the Prince Ning Mansion’s inner court to the entire Capital City.

☆

Rong Ruiyuan was furious enough to explode. With one disaster happening right after another, there was simply no end to it.

“You still haven’t found her?”

“Answering Your Highness, all the guards in our mansion have been dispatched, but we still haven’t found a single trace of her.”

“Pass down my orders: find her alive or bring back her corpse! I don’t believe a grown woman could just vanish from the mansion.

“Investigate this for me! Find out who was on duty guarding the gates these past few days. I refuse to believe she could fly to the heavens or burrow into the earth.”

How could someone he had confined to the courtyard, with old maidservants standing guard, manage to leave?

“They have all been locked up, but they steadfastly deny it, saying they’ve never seen Cai Hua.”

“Are you absolutely certain that Gu Antong and those two old maids died in the fire?” Rong Ruiyuan confirmed once again.

“Yes,” the butler answered helplessly. He didn’t even know how many times he had answered this question.

“That’s impossible. Gu Antong couldn’t have walked out that door. I’m certain.” Even if she were given a chance, Gu Antong wouldn’t have been able to escape with her life.

“But those two old maids were perfectly able-bodied and guarding the door. They could have escaped at any time. How could they die in the fire?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, the fire broke out deep in the night. It’s possible those two old maids were slacking off and couldn’t escape in time.”

Rong Ruiyuan didn’t think such a reason held water. “Go to the homes of those two old maids and investigate. Check if there has been any unexplained wealth appearing recently.”

Family scandals were not to be aired in public. Rong Ruiyuan didn’t want the authorities to intervene, so he had consistently claimed it was an accidental fire.

Right at that moment, a guard rushed in hurriedly. “Your Highness, this is bad…”

“I am perfectly fine!” Rong Ruiyuan snapped. He already felt unlucky enough, and the massive sum of silver required to repair the mansion only added insult to injury. Now, this damn fool was here to agitate him further.

“Your Highness,” the guard said, dropping to his knees. “Rumors are flying everywhere outside! They’re saying the Prince Mansion caught fire because of inner court infighting.

“Furthermore, several new factions have appeared on the streets, and they are also tracking down that maid, Cai Hua. This matter has been blown completely out of proportion.”

“How are you people getting things done? Didn’t I tell you to investigate in secret?”

The butler looked conflicted. At the time, Rong Ruiyuan was so preoccupied with heartache over his burned-down courtyards that he hadn’t issued a gag order. The news simply couldn’t be locked down in time.

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